LOAN signings could again play a significant part for Town this season.

LOAN signings could again play a significant part for Town this season.

Manager Lee Clark, who has already brought in centre-back Liam Cooper from Hull, feels the market could again be productive in the League I campaign.

“I will have no problem using loans again because they have been very successful for us over a period of time,” said Clark (pictured), who is leading a five-day training camp in Scotland which includes friendlies at Hamilton tomorrow (2.00) and Dunfermline on Tuesday.

“When you can draft in players from the Premier League, whose clubs want their promising young players to gain good experience, it can work very well.

“You only have to look at some of the people we’ve had already like Danny Drinkwater from Manchester United, Benik Afobe from Arsenal and Danny Ward from Bolton (who Town has now signed on a permanent deal).

“They’ve been very successful and so I’ve got to consider that market in future as well.”

In addition to striker Afobe and winger Ward, Clark signed experienced midfielders Damien Johnson and Kevin Kilbane on long-term loans last season.

“I was lucky with those loan players last time because they bought fully into what we were doing,” added the boss.

“They all played as if they were on long-term contracts and that’s just what you want.

“Sometimes you can bring loan players in and defeats don’t always affect them like the rest. But those loan lads we had felt defeats every bit as badly as the players who are here permanently.

“That’s what you want in your club, good players who are the right characters.”

Town still have hopes of bringing Plymouth’s Johnson back to the Galpharm.

They are in on-going talks with Peter Ridsdale, the acting chairman of Argyle, who are struggling to meet the ex-Birmingham and Northern Ireland player’s contract, which has a year to run.